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ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

helping to reposition the Nigerian water sector towards

delivering on the MDGs cannot be over emphasized. The

results revealed that skills development in the Nigerian

water sector is mainly through in-service training, with few

utilizing further and higher education training. This could

be attributed to the fact that, apart from those working in

the universities, polytechnics and research institutes, most

staff in the sector are rarely given the opportunity to go for

long-term training courses that will take them away from

their working environments for some time.

RC-IRBM/NWRI is collaborating with UNESCO

in the Hydro free and/or Open software Platform of

Experts (HOPE) programme. The steering commit-

tee is composed of the African Ministers’ Council on

Water, the Africa Water Resources Capacity Building

Programme, the Southern African Network of Water

Centres of Excellence and the United Nations Economic

Commission for Africa. The executive director/chief

executive of NWRI is a member of the committee.

Through these projects and programmes, RC-IRBM

and NWRI have strategically been integrating the

cooperation of stakeholders in the water sector at

national and international levels. These endeavours

support the effective utilization and management of

water resources in the West African subregion and the

African continent.

The overall goal is to see that service delivery of rural water supply

and sanitation is improved in Nigeria through capacity develop-

ment of stakeholders. To date, over 220 participants have benefited

from various training programmes including groundwater investiga-

tion techniques; borehole maintenance and rehabilitation; drilling

machinery maintenance; installation and maintenance of hand

pumps; sanitation and hygiene; community mobilization; alterna-

tive water sources; borehole construction and maintenance; and

borehole drilling technology. Equipment comprising a drilling rig,

compressor, service trucks, drilling accessories and groundwater

geophysical instruments for effective capacity development and

research has been received from JICA under this programme.

In order to address water resources challenges and support the

development and management of water resources in Africa, the New

Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) has established centres

of excellence for the science and technology of water in African subre-

gions. However, for the centres to carry out their functions effectively,

it is necessary to examine the capacity development needs of the

water resources sector in the subregions so that interventions can be

implemented based on emerging areas of need. This has necessitated

a sector-wide approach for capacity assessment in the West African

subregion. NWRI, as one of NEPAD’s centres of excellence in West

Africa, was assigned to carry out a study aimed at identifying skills

and training needs in the Nigerian water sector. NWRI’s experience

in human resources capacity and skills assessments in Nigeria was

brought to bear in conducting this study. The study’s relevance in

A Youth Empowerment Programme field demonstration. Clockwise from top left: borehole pumping test; dismantling a submersible pump;

women service the submersible pump; coupling the serviced pump before reinstallation

Images: NWRI